With what hymns will I wed thee?

The choice of hymns for a wedding is a highly personal one. Those who have little experience of church life and hymn singing often wish to return to hymns learnt in childhood – maybe in Sunday School, more often in school. Others look for guidance, from family or the minister.

This past summer (during what is presumably “high season” for weddings) the Revds Keith Albans and Andy Murphy have responded to two of the most common challenges for those advising which hymns may be suitable on such occasions:

to use tunes familiar to the majority of guests

to recognise that, while church weddings are Christian cermonies, intentionally carried out “before God”, many present have little shared language for talking to or about God

Andy Murphy provides joyous words with biblical allusions suitable for blessing a marriage: Lift your voices. Keith Albans responded to his son’s request that he write a hymn “without too many mentions of God!”: Wedding hymn (“This is the long awaited day”).